


public displays

by spacebubble



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: (but mostly fluff), Changelings, Developing Relationship, Dialogue Heavy, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Insecurity, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Post-Canon, Public Display of Affection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 22:19:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17413595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacebubble/pseuds/spacebubble
Summary: Post-canon: Odo's been a lot more affectionate ever since he's returned from the Great Link. It's different. A lot of things about Odo are different. Quark's still trying to get used to it.





	public displays

Quark wakes up with a hand on his ass and a comforting presence in his bed.

The hand rests on him with an assured, relaxed touch - not meant to grope, but to hold. It feels oddly supportive, even sweet. Quark suppresses an amused snort. Only Odo could be capable of such a thing.

He stretches slowly underneath the covers, then eases himself into the touch.

"Hey," he says sleepily to Odo.

"Quark."

"Been awake long?"

Odo absently flexes his fingers along Quark's backside, gently massaging him through the fabric of his pajamas. "My regeneration cycle ended a few minutes ago, yes."

"And when you say a few minutes, do you _really_ mean a few minutes?"

Odo scrutinizes him from the other side of the pillow, frowning slightly. "Why would I lie?"

Quark grins. "So I wouldn't know how long you've been grabbing my ass."

Sighing, Odo splays his fingers and gives Quark a firm, deliberate squeeze. " _That,_ " he lectures, "was a 'grab.' _This_ -" and Odo relaxes his fingers, resting his hand on Quark's backside again, "- is a mere _hold_."

"Sure, sure." Quark wriggles himself deeper into their shared nest of covers. "And how long have you been holding me, then?"

"For only a few minutes," Odo replies. He grunts in a suddenly concerned tone. "Is that... acceptable? I suppose I shouldn't _assume_ -"

"No, no, it's fine. It's good, even." Quark moves closer on the pillow to Odo's face, until it's almost out of focus. "I like it. Keep doing it."

A relieved smile spreads across Odo's face. "Well. If you insist."

"And you can turn it into a grab. If you want."

Odo snorts. "If _I_ want?"

Quark nods, then starts giggling as Odo leans close enough to go blurry, and the hold strengthens into a grab, and the giggles disappear into a kiss.

 

* * *

 

Sometimes Quark wakes up thinking it was all just a dream.

He'll open his eyes to an empty bed and feel more alone than ever, lying there in the dark. Odo didn't come back. Nothing's changed.

But then his foot or hand or some other part of him will come into contact with Odo's regenerating natural state, pooled underneath the covers, dormant and resting. He'll gasp at the shock of it, the alien smoothness touching his bare skin.

Then he'll remember, and fall back asleep, relaxing into a contented slumber once more.

 

* * *

 

He didn't know what to expect when Odo came back.

Quark used to think that, maybe, they would pick up right where they left off. Odo would try to tease information about his various business ventures out of him, Quark would deny that anything untoward could _possibly_ be occurring in any of his very legitimate entrepreneurial endeavours.

And he would feel that temporary thrill of just being around Odo again, and dancing around the truth again -

Well, Odo just had to be different this time, didn't he?

 

* * *

 

"Are you sure?" Quark asks.

Odo stands in the middle of the bar, strangely still. Perfectly still. A statue couldn't be more immobile.

Except this statue's just come back from the Link, and he's clothed in ambassadorial robes of dark mauves and shale greys, and he looks completely different, yet his exasperated surprise is as familiar as ever.

"Am I sure I have _feelings for you_?" Odo asks in disbelief. "After everything I've said, you still don't believe me?"

Quark nods. He twists the polishing rag in his hands like he might tear it in two. His heartbeat accelerates, his eyes are starting to sting, and his ears are full of whispers from the crowd surrounding them. He can almost feel the weight of everyone's stares surrounding his peripheral vision.

But Odo doesn't seem to notice the crowd, or if he does, he doesn't care. All he's focused on is Quark.

The silence between them becomes excruciating.

Quark fidgets with the rag, wringing the cloth.

And then Odo stalks forward, looking angry or nervous or both as he grabs the rag out of Quark's hands and flings it aside. The distance between them vanishes as Odo's hands move where Quark can't see them, reaching behind him. One hand presses on the small of Quark's back. The other cups the back of his head.

And Quark looks up just in time to see Odo's face go blurry before Odo crushes their mouths together.

It hurts when their noses hit each other. Quark whines a muffled complaint into Odo's mouth and Odo responds with a low grumble ( _what's wrong now?_ ) and gently caresses the back of Quark's neck.

The touch is soothing, but also chilly - Odo's fingers feel like he's been out in the cold for too long. Quark squirms in his embrace, then whines again, louder this time.

Sighing, Odo pulls back just enough to break off the kiss. He keeps his nose close to Quark's, idly nuzzling it as he speaks. "What's wrong?"

"Your hand's cold," Quark mutters quietly.

Odo snorts in amusement. He rests his nose against Quark's. "I _kiss_ you, and that's all you have to say in response?"

" _And_ you hurt my nose earlier," Quark makes sure to add, trying not to smile. His mouth twitches with the effort.

"Hmph." Odo slowly rubs their noses together in a gentler nuzzle. "Sorry."

Quark sighs in a semi-appeased sort of way, then nuzzles him back. "Guess that's acceptable."

"Is it, now?" Odo continues languidly nuzzling him. "And my nose -"

"Uh-huh?"

"Is the temperature acceptable?"

Quark stifles a laugh. He'd roll his eyes if they weren't shut.

"Could be warmer," he murmurs, then tilts his face up for a kiss. Just in case Odo doesn't get the hint, he makes a plaintive sound.

(In the background, one of the newer waiters whispers to Broik. "Should we...?"

"Let's leave the boss alone," Broik whispers back. "I'll handle the drinks, you go take the orders, okay? All these customers need refreshments to go with the show.")

Being in the Great Link seems to have improved Odo's detective abilities tremendously. Without any further prompting, Odo takes the hint and takes Quark's chin in hand.

Just as their lips meet, Odo pauses.

"Warm enough now?" he asks smugly, and gives Quark's chin a playful squeeze.

"I _hate_ you," Quark mutters, just loud enough for Odo to hear him, before leaning forward and muffling Odo's self-satisfied chuckle with an urgent kiss.

(He supposes Odo's fingers _do_ feel warmer.)

Everything else falls away as they kiss each other, again and again. Quark reaches up to wind a hand in Odo's hair - he's always liked the thought of mussing Odo's hair - and Odo tightens the arm around his waist, like he intends to never let go.

It's all quite nice.

Then there's a tap on his shoulder. An insistent one.

Accompanied by a pointed cough from Ro Laren, Chief of Security.

Quark breaks off the kiss immediately, ignoring Odo's startled grunt in response. He leans away just enough to see Ro standing nearby, arms crossed, looking very serious (typical) and a little uncomfortable (less typical).

(In the background, the surrounding crowd has dispersed, though some of the patrons at the nearest tables continue to glance over with interest.)

"Laren!"

Ro sighs. "Quark." She looks more uncomfortable as she acknowledges Odo. "Ambassador."

Odo straightens his posture, then nods in acknowledgement. "Const- Chief? Chief Ro."

The corner of her mouth quirks upward in a faint smile. "Just Ro is fine, Ambassador."

"And just Odo will also suffice," Odo replies. He keeps his arm tightly wrapped around Quark's waist, and even though Quark knows he shouldn't be gleeful about it, he's positively ecstatic that Odo might actually be jealous of his ex. "Is something the matter?"

The faint smile levels out into a professional, stoic line. "I've received multiple reports of, ahem." Ro glances back at Quark. "Public lewdness. Regarding you two."

" _What?_ " Odo asks, irate.

"But we didn't even use tongue!" Quark complains. "Not _much_ , anyway. And his hand wasn't anywhere _near_ the vicinity of my ass."

Odo makes a choking sound. "Quark!"

Quark glances back up at him. "What?"

Ro clears her throat. "I haven't mentioned any specifics, Quark."

"Oh, right." Quark blinks, turns back to her. "Force of habit, sorry."

"I'm assuming we ought to cease and desist," Odo mentions wryly.

"That would help," Ro replies. "As this is your first offense, Ambassador, I believe the Colonel will agree with waiving the usual fines."

"Nonsense," Odo scoffs. He reaches into a pocket in his robes and pulls out a neat stack of gold-pressed latinum strips. (Quark tries not to stare too obviously, blushing furiously at the thought of Odo paying up for _public lewdness_ charges earned by making out with _him._ ) "I refuse to be an exception to the station's rules," Odo continues. "How much are the fines?"

"Ambassador, please -"

"Just Odo, and I _insist_ -"

As they (politely) argue, Quark shuts his eyes and rests his head on Odo's shoulder. Odo rubs his back with a languid, soothing series of strokes, and Quark smiles to himself.

Not exactly how he thought their reunion to go, but he can live with it.

 

* * *

 

At dinner, Quark keeps looking around, wondering if anyone would notice him and Odo eating together.

Technically, only Quark's eating dinner, while Odo sits across the table from him. And he hasn't been eating much. It's difficult to concentrate on eating when Odo's holding his other hand, diligently tracing aimless swirls on Quark's palm as they talk. Odo doesn't seem to care that they're in public, where everyone can see.

Quark's not worried about another public lewdness charge - Odo's merely touching his hand, and they haven't made out (for long) in public again - but each passerby puts him on alert.

He has an explanation prepared, a short summary of their star-crossed love story for anyone who asks.

But no one asks.

"Everybody knows!"

Odo glances up at Quark's outburst. He gives Quark's hand a squeeze.

"Everybody knows what?" he asks mildly.

"Knows about _us_."

"I fail to see the issue." Odo's thumb gently resumes tracing swirls on Quark's palm. " _Is_ there an issue?"

Quark twists his mouth in disappointment. "I thought people would ask how we got together. But nobody needs an explanation, apparently."

Odo huffs a quiet laugh. The vibrations travel down his arm to Quark's hand with a pleasant tingle. "I believe most of the station saw us 'get together' earlier. Or, has likely already heard about our public lewdness charges from those who were present."

It's insulting, really. Quark loves telling stories about himself, and here was the best story that had happened to him in ages, and nobody even wanted to hear it.

He pouts to himself as he brings another spoonful of braised grubs to his mouth.

"Besides," Odo says, "you can always tell Rom."

Quark gurgles and almost chokes on the grubs he's in the middle of swallowing. He hastily gulps, then coughs, then whines.

"Are you all right?" Odo immediately rushes to his side and rubs his back, partially crouching above him.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Quark looks up and suppresses a noise at Odo's sudden proximity. His cheeks feel very warm. "Um."

The hand on his back slows down. Odo eyes his flustered face with a bit of a smirk.

"Just got distracted," Quark says, somewhat breathily.

"Ah." For such a short syllable, Odo's managed to infuse it with an overwhelming smugness. He rests his hand on Quark's back and looks incredibly pleased with himself.

The hand on his back isn't helping matters. Nor is the hand caressing his palm.

Odo leans in even closer.

Quark's breath hitches. He sets down his spoon in anticipation, keeping his face tilted upwards.

"Your grubs are getting cold," Odo murmurs.

Quark groans, just in time to coincide with a low chuckle from Odo, then drags Odo down the rest of the way for a kiss.

(Just a quick one. Well, a moderately quick one to tide him over. Definitely nothing that would garner another public lewdness complaint.)

 

* * *

 

It's not easy to get a hold of Rom, constantly called away for some Grand Nagus duty or other, but they finally manage to get through.

Like everyone else they've encountered so far, Rom's surprised, but not _that_ surprised to see the two of them together. (It's almost insulting how _everyone_ insists they knew about Quark and Odo's true feelings for each other long before Quark and Odo realized it themselves.)

Even so, Rom peppers them with questions - when did Odo return from the Link (recently), did he plan on staying (yes), and finally, how exactly did their reunion go?

And finally, Quark gets to tell their story - which he does, with relish, even though Odo insists on interrupting him with corrections.

He'd be more annoyed if Odo wasn't resting an affectionate hand on his thigh, politely out of the console screen's visual range.

 

* * *

 

It's different, being in a relationship with someone. With Odo, especially.

For one, Quark's never had anyone _pay_ for so many things for him before. Odo always seems to have an endless supply of gold-pressed slips and strips to set down before Quark can press his thumb imprint onto the billing padds. If not actual latinum, Odo neatly snatches the padd away from Quark before he has a chance to pay (occasionally shapeshifting a translucent tentacle, or simply another hand, to give Quark a little fright while doing so).

Finally, as they leave one of the Promenade's storefronts, Quark's newest acquisition in hand, he asks.

"Don't get me wrong," Quark says chipperly, "I do _not_ mind, but... can you afford it? I mean, where's all the money coming from? Does the Dominion pay you _that_ much to be an Ambassador?"

For some reason, that prompts Odo to kiss him.

Quark sighs into the kiss, confused but pleased. He readjusts the bag he's carrying, trying not to drop it, then pulls away.

"What was that for?" he asks.

Odo smiles, then gives him another kiss, quick and soft. "Your nose wrinkles in a particular fashion when you say my new title. And yes, I can afford it. The money comes from a combination of my personal savings, past favors, and the Dominion's coffers."

"Oh." Quark shifts the bag's weight off the fingers of one hand onto the other. "What past favors?"

"Quite a number of my past acquaintances insisted on rewarding me for simply doing my job."

Quark pauses to think. "Acquaintances from your investigations?"

"Yes." Odo doesn't seem inclined to elaborate any further. He tilts his head. "Here, give me the bag."

Quark pouts - he likes clutching his shopping, and the bag is shiny and prismatic. "I can carry it."

"You're struggling," Odo says with a hint of a smile. "I told you the globe was heavier than it looked." And he sets his hand on top of Quark's, gently wrapping his fingers around Quark's fist. "Hm?"

"Oh, fine." Quark hands it over, fingertips lingering on the bag handles until the last possible minute. The bag catches the light so nicely, like it's made of millions of tiny, fine-cut gems. He can't stop looking at it as Odo hoists it easily onto his shoulder.

Odo shakes his head. "Really, Quark. If you're like this with a shopping bag, I can't imagine how easy it must have been to distract you in my absence."

Blinking, Quark looks back up at him. "Huh?"

"Never mind," Odo chuckles. He rests his hand on Quark's lower back and gently guides him back onto the Promenade. "Do I need to show you my financial records for you to believe me?"

In the terms of that ridiculous hu-man game, reviewing financial records was tantamount to Ferengi third base. Odo might as well have stroked his lobes in public.

"That's, uh. That's." Quark blushes. "Already?"

Odo glances back down at him, then smiles. He ducks down for another kiss, and Quark feels rewarded for something he didn't even know he did.

"I'll give you all the proof you need," Odo murmurs when he pulls away, nose trailing along Quark's cheek in a fond, firm nuzzle. "It's about time I reconciled my financial records in the Alpha Quadrant, anyway."

Quark lets out a shaky exhale as he leans into the nuzzle. "Careful, Odo. You'll rack up another public lewdness charge."

"Is that so?" Odo sounds completely unbothered by the prospect, but he stops nuzzling Quark so they can resume walking side by side down the Promenade. "I suppose it wouldn't be very diplomatic of me to create additional work for the new Chief of Security."

"Probably not." Quark grins. "Ro's seen worse, though."

"Not from you, I hope."

"Of course not! I was a model citizen while you were gone."

"Were you?" Odo scoffs in amused disbelief. "What a paragon of the community."

"Haven't I always been?"

"I seem to recall a significant number of instances suggesting otherwise."

"Name one."

And Odo readily complies, taking Quark's interruptions in stride as they walk through the Promenade, fingertips gently pressing into Quark's back.

 

* * *

 

Sometimes Odo smiles in a way that reminds him of Curzon. Sometimes Odo smiles like a person Quark doesn't recognize.

 

* * *

 

When he wakes up in the middle of the night, alone with his own thoughts, Quark wonders how much of Odo is wholly himself, and how much of him comes from elsewhere in the Link.

 

* * *

 

"It doesn't work like that," Odo tells him.

They're lounging in his quarters, Quark draped all over Odo as Odo reclines on his couch. Odo curls an arm around his waist to hold him steady, and Quark rests his head on Odo's shoulder.

He hadn't _meant_ to tell Odo, but Odo had figured out how to link with him, and he couldn't help it. The thoughts slipped out before he could stop them, flowing into the stream of consciousness shared between them.

"So how does it work?" Quark asks.

"Well." Odo rests his cheek on Quark's forehead. "I could link with you again. It might be easier to explain, that way."

"It's easy for _you_ to communicate in the link, but not for me. Not yet, anyway."

"Hm." Odo absently presses a kiss to Quark's forehead, and Quark blushes as he remembers the last time Odo kissed him on the forehead. "Yes, I suppose." He goes silent for a moment, then says, "It's not something you can measure."

"What is?"

"Myself, and not myself. The rest of the ocean."

"But _is_ there something, then? The part that isn't your original goo?"

"None of this is my 'original goo,' Quark."

Quark twists his mouth in confusion. "Okay."

"Your lobes aren't your original lobes either."

"That's different. My lobes are still generated by my original _body._ "

Odo gives him a playful pinch on the waist, and Quark yelps. "But your body isn't the same as it's always been."

"But... I mean, yeah, but." Quark wriggles against him, suddenly discomfited. "It's not like my entire skeleton's regrown itself."

"It has, technically. Every ten years, if I recall the station's medical database correctly."

Quark squirms in Odo's lap, thinking of the stories he's heard about Borg assimilation, and Cardassian medical research. There's probably plenty of stories about Dominion genetic databases as well.

But all Quark says is, "Don't think I like knowing that."

Odo chuckles.

"But still," Quark continues, "it's not like there were any other bodies my body became a part of, and then came back out of again, you know?"

Odo considers this. He idly rubs Quark's arm as he thinks, then says, "I think I do."

"So... I just wanted to check."

"If I'm still the Odo you once knew?"

Quark nods. He leans harder against Odo's shoulder, pressing his ear to Odo's chest.

He's never told Odo, but Odo found out eventually - he was always able to recognize Odo's unique internal sounds from far away. They were always so unusual, so idiosyncratic, that he could always locate Odo in a crowded room. Like a homing signal.

"Well?"

"You sound the same," Quark murmurs, almost in a whisper.

Odo presses another kiss to his forehead. "Does it matter if my 'goo,' as it were, isn't wholly original to myself?"

Quark falls silent as he listens to the soft susurration of Odo's internal waves.

"I guess not," he says eventually. But a part of him still wonders.

Even after they link again, later, Quark still doesn't feel like all his questions are answered. Maybe he'll never have the capacity to know, or maybe his questions aren't wholly answerable.

He supposes he'll always keep wondering.

 

* * *

 

Other things are different.

Odo's far more relaxed about his shapeshifting abilities than he was before - partly due to confidence, partly due to instinct. Like a reflex, Quark supposes.

They'll be in the middle of a conversation when feathers start lining the side of Odo's face, iridescent where they catch the light, trailing the edge of his jaw to the tip of his hairline, much like Curzon's Trill spots from the zhian'tara.

Or they'll be walking along the Promenade when, out of nowhere, Odo's arm becomes a tree branch, mossy and green, leaves curling out of his fingers.

Or maybe they'll be walking into his quarters, and Quark will realize the air's suddenly colder than usual, because Odo's partly turned into fog, and he's enveloped Quark in it.

"New look?" Quark would ask, or some variation thereof, and Odo would stare at him blankly before realizing what happened.

He'd retract the feathers, the leaves, the fog, pull them back into his humanoid form, then continue as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Old habits, yet new ones, to Quark.

 

* * *

 

They're at Ezri's birthday party. Her quarters are crowded, dark, and loud, and Odo's hand hasn't left Quark's lower back all evening.

It's distracting. It's not _bad_ , of course, but the persistent touch leaves Quark restless with anticipation. Odo's hand hasn't strayed any lower than his lower back. The edge of Odo's palm rests just above the swell of his ass, right on the border of innocence.

Quark isn't used to touches that don't lead directly to foreplay, or oo-mox, or something else. The longer Odo keeps his hand on him, the more Quark wants to comment. But whenever he prepares to speak, someone drops by to talk.

First it's Ro, drifting over for a chat about the latest detective novel recommendation from O'Brien, and it occurs to Quark that he's never seen either of them talk about books before. They very seriously address the inaccuracies in the book, which immediately makes Quark's eyes glaze over as he strives to listen to _anything_ other than the former Chief of Security talk with the current Chief of Security about what _they_ would do in response to the security conundrums presented by the plot.

Then it's Kira, arriving to drag Ro away to meet yet another former member of the Bajoran Resistance - former Resistance members are always visiting the station to catch up - but of course Kira's going to stop and chat for a bit, and Quark tenses in the presence of his ex's current lover as Kira talks with _her_ previous lover, and then he's distracted by the thought of what to call Odo in relation to himself, because the term "lover" just doesn't sound right.

(Quark still can't think of him as anything other than _Odo_. He's not his boyfriend, or partner. The word "husband" floats through his mind occasionally, as seductive as an idle daydream - but Quark hasn't fantasized about a marriage contract in years, and he's not about to start now.)

Then Ro and Kira leave, and Ezri swings by to ask how things are going, and to ponder aloud about the nature of birthdays and past lives, and did Quark know that most humanoid skeletons regenerated every ten years or so?

(Behind her, Quark can hear Bashir try to hound Worf for details about Garak. The two had attended the same conference recently, and Bashir was eager to hear Worf's opinion on Garak's current state and appearance.)

And so on, and so on.

All the while, through all the conversations, Odo keeps his hand on Quark. Sometimes his hand is at rest, an immobile yet steady presence. Sometimes he glides his hand along Quark's back in an idle rub, fingers gently stroking him through his clothing. Sometimes Odo's hand feels heavy with tension, like he's restraining himself from doing anything else with it.

Quark thinks he might pass out from the prolonged contact.

He sips from his [Arcturian fizz](http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Arcturian_fizz), bright and bubbly in the glass, and wonders if the drink's pleasure-enhancing qualities have taken effect at all. Maybe they have. He's mostly enjoying himself, despite all the distractions. The drink tingles his tongue, Odo's proximity tingles his nerves.

Quark brims with restless energy, flitting through his conversations with a chatty buzz, all the while wondering when he'll get a chance to speak to Odo alone.

His head swims a little, fuzzy with the novelty of speaking as a unit in front of others. They've spoken in tandem before - Quark giving his side of the story, Odo chiming in with corrections or additional details - but never like partners, on the same side.

Odo gives no indication that he's anything other than perfectly comfortable with their situation. He keeps his hand on Quark's lower back like their closeness is a foregone conclusion. Sometimes he'll lean over to catch Quark's eye, like he's eager to remind Quark of his presence, to make sure Quark knows he's still there.

It's all very charming. And confusing. Quark can't help wondering how much of this attentiveness is recycled from Odo's relationship with Kira.

He knows that's not how it works, that Odo's actions can't be measured against a definitive past pattern. But the drink in his hand doesn't know that, and the more he sips from it, the more Quark's rational thoughts give way to his long-held insecurities - doubts about his worth, his value as a potential partner.

He waits for Odo's hand to leave, but it doesn't.

He really needs to ask him about it.

Finally, after Ezri's birthday candles are blown out and the partygoers begin to crowd around the cake, Quark sees his chance.

He spots a quiet corner on the far side of the room, next to a towering leafy plant gifted by Keiko O'Brien (with the reassurance that it was nigh indestructible and needed very little tending).

"Hey," Quark says, tugging on Odo's sleeve. He nods in the houseplant's direction. "Can we go over there?"

Odo grunts in an agreeable sort of tone. "After you."

He keeps his hand on Quark's lower back as they walk over, and Quark tries to work up the nerve to ask what he wants to ask.

Once he figures out what he wants to ask in the first place.

It's not that he wants Odo to leave him alone - he loves the attention, the physical reminder of Odo's presence, Odo's willingness to touch him. He's just not used to it, and he's not used to it lasting so long, and the buzz of his thoughts keeps bouncing back and forth between the simple answer - Odo likes being around him, why wouldn't he - and a vastly more complicated array of alternative possibilities.

(Quark makes sure to set down his emptied glass on an end table, determined not to let it affect his thinking any further. He made a mistake, ordering an Arcturian fizz. In addition to jumbling all his thoughts, it's also made him very aware of how much he would rather just make out with Odo and kiss all his worries away.)

As they walk over, Odo leans down to speak into his ear. "Not interested in the cake?"

Quark shivers. "Nah, too sweet for me."

"Hm. I don't suppose you're interested in a closer inspection of the aspidistra, either."

"The what?"

They've reached the corner and the plant. Odo nods over to it.

"The plant," Odo replies with a smile. "This is a Bajoran aspidistra. They're hardy things."

"Oh." Quark scrutinizes the aspidistra, looking up at the pointed ends of the towering leaves. "Didn't know you knew that much about plants."

"It's an interesting specimen to shapeshift into." Odo slips his hand around Quark's waist and pulls him closer. "They don't die easily, and there's plenty of them on Bajor. Dr. Mora's parents have quite a few in their garden."

Quark's shoulder presses snugly into Odo's chest and his face grows hot. He wonders if Odo can see him blushing - the room's still quite dark, and Odo's face is very close.

"But I doubt you intended to discuss the plant," Odo continues, glancing back down at him. "So why did you want to relocate?"

"Oh, uh." Quark finds it hard to think while he's nestled so cozily in the crook of Odo's arm. "Just felt like getting away for a bit."

"I understand."

"You do?" Quark looks up at him.

"I don't like parties much, either." Odo makes a disgruntled sound. "There's so much... _talking._ "

Quark refrains from commenting on how Odo does, indeed, seem more relaxed in the company of a houseplant. "But you talk all the time."

"Do I?"

"You're an _Ambassador._ " Quark pauses to accept a kiss - he must've wrinkled his nose again - but Odo pulls away before it can turn into a makeout. Disappointing. "It's your job to talk to people. And wear boring robes, apparently."

Odo glances down at his shapeshifted ambassadorial robes. "What's so boring about them?"

"Everything," Quark teases - he's forgotten how much he's missed commenting on Odo's clothing, or the semblance of clothing. "The texture, the colors, the cut. It's all so... _functional_."

"Like an ambassador's robes ought to be?" Odo asks dryly.

"An unimaginative ambassador, sure." Quark leans against him. "You can shapeshift your clothes into anything you want, and you choose this?"

"Ah." Odo drops his voice to a sweetly suggestive lowness, rumbling deep in his chest. "And what would you have me wear instead?"

Quark's ears burn. "Oh, I don't know," he says faintly. "Something with a little more pizzazz."

"Such as your jacket, perhaps?" Odo reaches down to take Quark's hand in his, lifting it up to examine Quark's jacket sleeve. The gold-pressed threads shimmer under his inspection, woven into delicate designs against wine-red fabric. "When did you get this?"

"My last visit to Ferenginar." Quark shivers again. "Your hand's cold, by the way."

"Mm. Sorry." Odo continues examining Quark's jacket sleeve - the embroidered border of the cuffs, the golden designs traveling up the arm. As he does so, a faint ripple livens up Odo's skin, and suddenly his hand feels warmer. "Better?"

And Odo's sleeve has transformed as well, glimmering faintly with newly emerged metallic details. The designs intensify near the ends of his sleeves, shifting from silver to gold in an elevated emulation of Quark's own clothing. It's dazzling.

Quark stares. "Yeah. Wow. Much better."

Odo chuckles, then dips down to kiss Quark's hand.

(In the background, Quark can hear Bashir's disgruntled complaint to Worf, for Bashir is decidedly not in the mood to see any affectionate couples tonight. Worf, for his part, simply notes that he has not yet tried the cake and excuses himself to go do so.)

Quark stifles a whimper at the sensation of Odo's lips softly pressing against his knuckles. It does nothing to clarify his jumbled thoughts. Part of him wants to grab Odo's head and shove him against the wall for a thorough makeout session, part of him wants to melt into the floor.

"Odo," he says faintly.

Odo straightens his posture. "Yes?"

Quark indicates their clasped hands, where Odo's fingertips are slowly pushing his fingers apart to intertwine.

"Keep that up," Quark murmurs, "and we'll have to get out of here."

"Hm?" Odo glances down at their intertwined hands. "What do you mean?"

Quark grins. "You haven't been able to keep your hands off me all night."

"I don't understand." Odo furrows his brow and his mouth settles into a neutral line. Quark thinks about how much he wants to lean up and kiss that line, but Odo continues speaking. "Have I been inappropriate?"

"Well, no, not exactly." Quark gazes at Odo's mouth. "Maybe. I don't know. Do you know what an Arcturian fizz tastes like?"

Odo tilts his head. "No, not that I can recall."

"That's a shame." Quark leans up to kiss him, because maybe Odo's figured out how to shapeshift tastebuds - he's never asked.

Odo makes a surprised grunt, then kisses him back, releasing Quark's hand to cradle the back of his head. His hands aren't cold anymore. Quark makes an appreciative noise, then parts his lips to deepen the kiss, pressing himself flush against Odo's chest.

"Quark." Odo pulls away, sounding perplexed, yet also pleased. His eyes flicker to the rest of the room, then back to Quark. "We're still at the party."

"Oh, right." Quark blinks, then rests his head on Odo's shoulder. Odo's simulated robes feel pleasant underneath his cheek, like rolling over onto the cool side of the pillow.

"Not that I mind," Odo says wryly, "but weren't you just chastising me for inappropriate behavior?"

"I wasn't _chastising_ you," Quark mumbles into Odo's chest. "I just wanted to let you know. In case you didn't."

"Didn't know what?"

"That you've been touching me ever since we got here, and I'm not _complaining_ , but -"

"It sounds remarkably akin to complaining."

"And your touches have been remarkably akin to foreplay," Quark retorts.

Odo snorts. "Says the man who just stuck his tongue between my teeth."

"It's weird that you have teeth anyway."

"Would you rather I didn't?"

Quark scrunches his eyes shut. "No, keep your teeth!"

Odo chuckles. He sounds very close to Quark's ear. "Quark."

"You're just trying to get me to look at your toothless mouth," Quark insists.

He hears Odo sigh, then feels a gentle bite on his bottom lip. Like Odo's wordlessly replying, _There, you scoundrel. Now do you believe me?_

Quark presses his lips together in a kiss, leaning towards the source of the bite, but Odo pulls away again.

He opens his eyes and sees Odo looking at him with a complicated expression. It seems _mostly_ fond. Maybe also a little exasperated, and confused.

So, normal. For their current situation. More or less.

"You're acting very strange," Odo comments.

"Says the man who can make his teeth appear or disappear at will."

Odo huffs a quiet laugh. "Quark, you're deflecting. What's really the matter?"

"The _matter_ , Odo, is that you don't even notice what you're doing to me!" Maybe his voice breaks a little. The Arcturian fizz must have been mixed too strongly. "You just touch me without thinking, even when it'll be hours before we can get away, and you don't even care how much I _suffer_ because of you, and I still don't know how much of you is _you_ and how much of you isn't, because what if the part of you that likes me isn't really _you_?"

There's a heavy pause.

(The party's background chatter distinctly drops in volume. Quark refrains from turning his head to look.)

"Quark."

"What," Quark mumbles petulantly into Odo's chest.

"Look at me."

"No. Your clothes are nice for once. I'd rather look at them instead."

Sighing, Odo slides his fingertips underneath Quark's chin and tilts it up. "I thought we settled this. My feelings for you existed long before I left for the Link. They are not new. They have always been a part of me."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"You're just being a stubborn fool." But Odo leans close enough for his face to go blurry, then nuzzles Quark's nose. "But I'll tell you as many times as you like, until you believe me."

Quark accepts the nuzzle with a quiet sound, then nuzzles Odo back. "Believe that I'm a stubborn fool?"

They both chuckle.

"I'll gladly inform you of that as well." Odo pauses, musing over something in silence as he slowly rubs Quark's nose with his own. "Quark, about the touching -"

"Forget it," Quark mutters. "It's nice. _You're_ nice, when you're not trying to freak me out with your teeth, or lack thereof. I just -"

"Let me finish," Odo chides gently. "Quark, you're right."

"I am?"

"About the thoughtlessness. Touching you without thinking." Odo caresses his chin, grazing the bottom of his mouth with his thumb. "It's become a habit. But not because I don't care about how it affects you, though I suppose I underestimated your sensitivity."

Even that sends a shiver through Quark's spine. "A habit? I'd joke about how you're trying to score a high by linking with me in public, but you don't even touch my skin most of the time."

"A deliberate choice." Odo smiles. "I don't want to forget myself and initiate a link without asking."

"But touching me's become a habit?"

"Yes." Odo pulls back enough to look him in the eye. "It's comforting."

Something partially connects in Quark's mind. He tilts his head. "You needed comforting?"

Odo grunts in a shrugging sort of way. "As I mentioned earlier, I don't like parties. Every conversation still feels like a performance. I have to remember how to act, what mannerisms are relevant to which mood, which expressions to convey. It can be worrisome. But your presence puts me at ease." The corner of Odo's mouth curls upwards into a lopsided smile. "Even when you're being self-contradictory and mystifying."

Quark nods. He's starting to understand. "So... you _weren't_ trying to indulge in a little casual lewdness."

Odo groans, then bumps his nose into Quark's. "Yes, Quark. The touches weren't meant to be a precursor to lewdness, public or otherwise."

"And you were touching me just to touch me?"

Odo nods, slowly nuzzling Quark's nose in the process. "Yes."

"Huh." Quark closes his eyes. Odo wasn't deliberately trying to tease him. "Guess the Arcturian fizz worked after all."

"I'm unfamiliar with its effects. What do you mean, it worked?"

Quark shrugs. "All your touching was getting me worked up, so I drank some to take the edge off."

"It reduces anxiety?"

"Well, it mainly enhances pleasure, so I figured..." Quark frowns, trying to remember his train of thought.

Odo supplies it for him. "You figured you'd counterbalance your anxieties with an aphrodisiac? Quark, I suspect that might have worsened the problem."

"Oh." Quark angles his head around to nuzzle Odo's cheek. Odo's chest feels very nice against his palms. "You're probably right."

Odo presses a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth, then asks, "Do you know what ingredients comprise this 'Arcturian fizz'?"

"Don't think so." Quark continues nuzzling him. "Want one?"

"No, Quark. I'm wondering if the effects intensify over time."

Quark reaches up to stroke his ear. "No idea."

Odo chuckles. "That's not going to do anything, remember?"

"You don't say." Quark gives him a kiss.

Odo smiles into the kiss, then murmurs, "Careful, Quark. We might get another complaint."

"It's a private party," Quark replies blithely. "People can't file public lewdness complaints for private parties."

"Ah, my mistake." Odo glances behind him, then chuckles. "But we should still go."

Quark grins up at him. "Feeling frisky?"

"The party's over, Quark." Odo gently nudges his shoulder, then nods back at the rest of the room. "Nearly everyone's left."

Quark turns to look.

The room's much emptier - and quieter - than before. On the table, Ezri's birthday cake is almost completely gone. Ezri herself is deep in conversation with Worf, whose hair seems even longer and more regal than before, while Bashir has managed to corral O'Brien into a conversation that mostly involves a lot of dramatic gesturing from Bashir and considerate nodding from O'Brien. Captain Boday's helping to clear the tables. Ro and Kira are nowhere to be seen. Morn's asleep on a couch.

In other words, the party's winding down.

"Oh," Quark says.

Odo rests his chin on Quark's shoulder. "Yes, quite."

He turns to look at Odo. "Let's get out of here."

Odo nods in agreement. His hair tickles Quark's cheek. "After you."

As they leave their corner, Odo slips his arm around Quark's waist - then hesitates.

"Is this -"

"Acceptable?" Quark looks up at him with a grin, then covers Odo's hand with his own, holding him close. "You bet."

It would never be easy, being in a relationship with Odo. But Quark's no stranger to risk, and for once, he likes his prospects.

They walk towards the group to say their goodbyes for the evening, fingers interlaced.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I originally intended to end the previous year with some quodo fluff, but it ended up morphing and manifesting itself into being near the beginning of the new year instead. 
> 
> So here we are! Happy new year, hope you all get to become the monster you were always meant to be. :)
> 
> Also, feel free to @ me about quodo on [tumblr](http://soft-galaxies.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/tendermixes/) whenever. See you out there!


End file.
